Projection Mapping on King’s College Chapel Blends 16th-Century Gothic Architecture with Contemporary Art

Artist Miguel Chevalier recently created a series of immersive projections that added a mesmerizing flair to a University of Cambridge charity event. The fundraising occasion featured Chevalier’s designs front and center in the King’s College Chapel, as they cloaked the historic interior in a myriad of changing colors, patterns, and textures. It was a striking juxtaposition that fused contemporary imagery with 16th-century Gothic English architecture—a mashup of old and new that brought the building to life.

Chevalier’s projections had a purpose beyond dazzling decoration: they accompanied speeches given by renowned professors and alumni. Generated in real time, the imagery had its own digital language to interpret and illustrate the subjects being talked about, including health, Africa, biology, physics, and more. Stephen Hawking’s speech, for instance, presented research on black holes. To complement it, Chevalier paired it with thousands of constellations that transported the room into deep space. This, along with the artist's other designs, was a brilliant way to engage viewers with more than just sound, but powerful sights, too.